Muscle relaxants
Who doesn’t want to stay young forever ?
Treating wrinkles of your forehead, frown or around your eyes has become common practice. Regardless of the brand that is used, the active substance in any case is Botulinum Toxin (BT). But did you know that BT can be used for more than just treating the wrinkles of your upper face ? Depending on the muscles that are treated, you can get a lot of beneficial effects from BT to maintain a smooth skin without loosing your beloved facial expressions.
The essentials
Botulinum Toxin (BT) is the ideal treatment to relax specific muscles and to avoid or treat wrinkles.
BT does not increase the volume of facial features, such as lips or cheekbones. That is what dermal fillers are used for.
BT treatments can be used for other areas than the upper face as well, for example for the treatment of bunny lines, a gummy smile, hanging mouth corners, teeth grinding, muscle bands in the neck, exaggerated sweating of the armpits, and migraine treatments.
To maintain a long-lasting result, a BT treatment should be repeated every 4-6 months.
Most patients start at the age of 25-30 with aesthetic BT injections, but you can profit from this procedure at any age.
Every patient requires a specific dose and injection pattern to ensure an optimal effect.
Knowledge of the human anatomy is necessary, so don’t visit an injector without the proper education and training.
What is Botulinum Toxin (BT) ?
Do not confuse BT with a dermal filler. A dermal filler (mostly based on Hyaluronic Acid) is a product to "fill" certain areas of the face to enhance specific features or compensate volume loss through ageing. BT on the other hand is a toxin that is used to relax muscles beneath your skin. It is a purified medicine that is derived from a bacteria, called Clostridium Botulinum. When injected, it blocks the signal pathway from a nerve to its target muscle. The resulting effect is that the muscle cannot contract anymore, making the skin that is attached to the muscle relax. Depending on the area that is being treated and the muscles that are relaxed, you can achieve different effects:
The most popular region to treat is a combination of the forehead + frown between the eyebrows + crow's feet next to the eyes. Treating those 3 zones together, will ensure a fresh look without the formation of deep wrinkles when you change between facial expressions. However, BT can be used for a lot of other indications as well. It all depends on your wishes and expectations.
A treatment with BT is also very patient specific and needs to be performed by someone with a thorough knowledge of the human anatomy. Otherwise, mistakes and complications may happen. Furthermore, every patient has a different muscle strength and uses their muscles in a different way. The dosis to reach an optimal effect can therefor differ between you and your friend. It is clear that, to get the best results, I apply a very patient-tailored approach for this type of treatment as everybody has a different anatomy and different expectations as well. During the consultation, I will explain to you the procedure in more detail, as well as which effect to expect. The procedure can be performed during the consultation without any downtime afterwards.
Each area requires a very specific treatment dose and injection technique to ensure the best results.
BT is delivered through a very fine needle to delivery the exact dose.
Besides the aesthetic indications, BT can be used for a variety of other medical treatments, such as exaggerated sweating or migraine treatments.
How often are Botulinum Toxin treatments needed ?
In case of anti-wrinkle treatments, the ideal age to start with regular BT treatments is very personal. One thing is for sure: it is never too late to start. Regardless of your age, BT will always help in either preventing the formation of wrinkles or making existing wrinkles softer and less visible:
Starting with regular BT treatments at a young age, mostly around 25-30, will postpone the formation of wrinkles as you repeatedly weaken specific muscles so they cannot pull on the skin. The skin is constantly relaxed and you will form less or even no wrinkles during many years.
Starting with regular BT treatments when you already have a few wrinkles will help in making those wrinkles less deep and visible, and sometimes they will completely disappear. Your skin has the tendency to “refresh” itself every few weeks. When the muscles beneath your skin are relaxed, the existing wrinkles will therefor soften up over time and through different cycles of “skin renewal”. If a wrinkle that is really disturbing does not disappear completely, we can always flatten that out with the use of a dermal filler.
Regarding the other indications of BT treatments, the ideal age is again very individual. Concerns like a gummy smile, platysma bands or teeth grinding can be treated at any age. However, the sooner you decide to improve those aspects, the longer you will enjoy your fresher looking face.
The treatment of migraines or exaggerated sweating with BT is indicated at any age in case you suffer from those symptoms.
When should you start with Botulinum Toxin ?
The general rule is that BT treatments should be repeated every 4-6 months. Depending on the used dose and the initial strength of the muscles, the frequency varies between patients. In men, the interval is usually a little bit shorter, as men tend to have a stronger muscle activity than women. The best advice I can give you is that it is better to get your BT treatment on a regular basis, as soon as you decide to start with this care treatment. Consider it as a quick, painless, and straight forward way to maintain a fresh, young, and healthy looking face.
For all the other indications (non-wrinkle-treatment) the same rule of 4-6 months counts. For migraine treatments I would recommend to maintain a 4-month cycle to really keep the risk of heavy migraine attacks to a minimum.
If you feel ready to have your first (or follow-up) BT treatment, I recommend you to plan a consultation in order to see how we can improve any of the concerns above and bring a positive impact to your life.